Especially in Papua New Guinea, where the geography is so challenging, it is important to store the books in-country so that they can be quickly and easily supplied to everyone who wants them.
Bilum Books has a partnership with Christian Books Melanesia Inc. (CBM). The CBM head office is in Wewak and they have retail shops in Vanimo, Wewak, Madang, Lae, Popondetta, Mount Hagen and Port Moresby. They also have a warehouse in Lae from where they distribute books to their own bookshops and to other book and stationery suppliers.
Under our partnership, all Bilum Books are stored in the CBM warehouse. From Lae, Bilum Books are distributed nationwide to all customers. This includes NGOs, Provincial Divisions of Education, schools, and other customers.
Carol Luttah, General Manager of Christian Books Melanesia with Andrew Runaweri, PNG SME Magazine
Lillian Amos, Wholesale and Retail Manager at the CBM warehouse and bookshop, Lae
The partnership with CBM is important because most school books used in PNG are stored off-shore (usually in Australia). PNG customers must pay freight costs from Australia, delivery times are long, and books must be paid for in Australian dollars. But under the CBM partnership, Bilum Books are available quickly and easily from Lae and payment is made in kina.